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Battery Restoration Part 1

Basics of Battery
Operation

Batteries are vital in our society, an upper
level in the scale of ability for humankind. They give us the power
to store and manipulate energy. They are everywhere from our
watches, cars, computers, pacemakers to the space shuttles and the
space station. The more complex is a society the more omnipresent
and the more dependent we are.

A big downside is that most batteries have a
limited lifespan and although replacing some is relatively
inexpensive, replacing others can be a big blow to our personal
economics. Thus anything we can do to reduce that blow is something
that deserves our attention. That is the reason for this article.

The subject is such that I divided it in
several parts. The first part is dedicated to the lead-acid battery
restoration. They are the most broadly used rechargeable batteries
today and replacing them has become quite expensive due to the
constantly rising cost of the lead and lately the sulfuric acid. We
find these types of batteries in our cars, electric cars, golf cars,
trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, boats, forklifts, solar systems etc.

Now, to bring an easier understanding about how
to restore a battery, we are going to start by explaining simply and
briefly about what a battery is, how it works and why it fails.

Let’s start by defining what a battery is; in
general a battery is a device in which chemical energy is
transformed into electrical energy and that energy can be used in a controlled manner. For practical
reasons batteries are classified in two types: a “primary battery”,
when the battery can only be use once (disposable) because the
chemical reaction that happens inside is not reversible by simple
means and the “secondary battery”, when the chemical reaction can be
reversed by applying electrical energy to the battery
(rechargeable). This reverse reaction capability is what enables the
batteries to be reused as storage devices.

How Does a Battery Work and why batteries fail?

The simplest batteries, better call cells, are
composed of two lead plates, one charged positive (lead oxide) and
one charged negative (lead), with a chemical solution between them,
generally a watery solution of sulfuric acid. The most complex ones
have a larger number of cells but the basic principle is the same.

Batteries produce a direct current (DC); it
always flows in the same direction. When you use a battery
(discharge) the chemical reaction is releasing electric energy
through the negative terminal. The reaction of the lead and lead
oxide with the sulfuric acid produce lead sulfate, water and
releases electric energy (electrons). If you discharge the battery
too much you will have mostly water and lead sulfate that in such
conditions tends to crystallize.

When you charge a battery, you
put electrons (electric energy) into the battery through the
negative terminal, that energy activates the lead sulfate breaking
it into lead and lead oxide and sulfuric acid. That causes a
chemical reaction which stores electricity.

The electric current is produced by the
presence of a surplus of electrons from the negative plate that flow
toward the positive plate that has a deficiency of electrons via the
sulfuric acid.

In summary the chemical reaction which stores
electricity in the battery involves transformation of lead sulfate
in an aqueous environment into the lead on the negative plate, and
the lead oxide on the positive plate, and an aqueous solution of
sulfuric acid. Conversely, when the battery is used (discharged) the
interaction of the lead and lead oxide with the sulfuric acid
produces, lead sulfate, water and electric energy (electrons). These
reactions work in both directions.

There is one tragic flaw! Lead can combine with
sulfate in two different ways. The first, discussed above, is
beneficial. The second way forms a crystal which does have very
little or no capability to efficiently conduct electricity and
cannot easily be converted back to lead or lead oxide. Every
discharge leaves a fine layer of crystals on the plates which little
by little reduce the available plate surface (battery’s reaction
area) and consequently the battery’s potential to store and release
electricity. As a wider and thicker area is covered with this lead
sulfate crystal, the battery loses power until it is not longer
worth using.

What can be done about it? How to restore a
Battery?

Before covering what things can be done to
restore a battery I find necessary to clarify a bit further about
two divisions on the types of lead-acid batteries.The Deep Batteries and Starting Batteries, each has their own
peculiarities and applications.

Starting batteries are the ones used in
Automobiles; these batteries have generally many thin plates. They
make the battery capable of providing as much current as it is
possible in a relatively small unit. This kind of batteries is
designed to be drained small amounts before they are charged again.

Deep-cycle lead acid batteries have thicker
plates to aid durability, they resist more deep discharge cycles
than the starting ones. Deep batteries are used in Golf carts,
electric cars, are recommended for solar systems, etc. A deep cycle
battery is designed to provide a moderate amount of current for a
long period of time.

If they were athletes the starter battery would
be a sprinter and the deep battery a marathon runner.

Car batteries are not designed to deep
discharge. When you do deep discharging, active material on the
plates is dropped. If you have thin plates very soon you will have
holes in the plates and permanent reduction of the plate surface,
consequently reduced current output and storage.

For more information on battery restoration and what can be done about it, see
Battery Restoration Part II.